Jacqueline Wallace

August 16, 2015

Publishing–that’s good news!

Nearly one year ago I began blogging my book, Brokenness to Beauty, sharing pieces of it with you as I wrote and re-wrote it, hoping to get it finished and published within a few months. Life doesn’t always cooperate, however. Can I get an “Amen”?! I know I’m not the only one who has been in that place. But with persistence and a lot of Lord, help me’s, I have come to this new place where I can say,

Brokenness to Beauty is in the hands of the publisher!

Korita, Istra 087 (1). Photographer: butkovicdub

Yes, the long awaited publishing process has begun. I’m now working with the publisher to get everything finished for publication of the print book and ebook.

In a few months you will have the opportunity to own Brokenness to Beauty: Transforming Your Brokenness into a Beautiful Life, read it for yourself and find the encouragement people have been telling me they get from it. You can then share with your family members and friends, telling them about it so they can read it as well, that they might be strengthened and encouraged on their journey through life. That is the reason I’ve been working on this book for so many years!

Will you help me get the word out?

Go to the comment box and leave your email address (a comment would be nice too) so you can be among the first to know when Brokenness to Beauty hits the market. Be among the first to share the encouragement of Brokenness to Beauty with others so they too can be built up and strengthened in their life walk.

Stay tuned for new developments!

July 3, 2015

Eyes Wide Open

“Deliver those who are drawn away to death, and those who totter to the slaughter, hold them back [from their doom].

If you [profess ignorance and] say, Behold, we did not know this, does not He Who weighs and ponders the heart perceive and consider it? And He Who guards your life, does not He know it? And shall not He render to [you and] every man according to his works?” (Proverbs 24:11-12 (AMP)[1]

I cannot get away from these verses. Reading, memorizing, and reciting it is an act of pulling one’s head out of the proverbial sand, of taking off the blinders, of removing the wool covering from one’s eyes. My head, my eyes. No excuses. This is a powerful word from God and one we should seriously take to heart. We are accountable for our actions. And lack of action.

So I deliberately seek to learn about those “who are drawn away to death, and those who totter to the slaughter” so that I can have a hand in “holding them back [from their doom].” I also need friends who will challenge me to continue to pursue this task and not get sidetracked from it. (Don’t we have lots of distractions in our world?)

A few of us in Bakersfield are seeking to inform ourselves and encourage one another to obedience through the Bakersfield She Is Safe Advocacy Group.[2] We have committed to:

raising awareness about the needs of women and girls in the hard places of the world, specifically in northern India,
raising up more Christian women to join us in our efforts to rescue them,
and raising $15,000 to help fund Transformation Groups[3] in some of the worst areas of that part of north India.

Why India? We need to focus on one place to be effective, though we can certainly pray for other areas where the need is also great. But read these statistics taken from the She Is Safe website:

Why Anti-trafficking is Needed for Girls in India:

Approximately 1.2 million children are exploited in prostitution throughout the country of India (UNICEF 2010 India Country Report)
West Bengal (in northern India) is the most unsafe place for women and girls in India. It tops the list of states where the highest number of cases against women and girls are registered. (National Crime Bureau Report 2012)
Sex trafficking has devastating consequences for minors, including long-lasting physical and psychological trauma, disease, drug addiction, and even death. (2013 Trafficking in Persons Report)[4]

Bakersfield She Is Safe Advocacy Group 5K

Why India? Why not, when we have the opportunity to do great good for women and girls in a country of which it is said it is the worst place to be born female?

Pray for the women and girls of India, look through the SIS website, contact me. Join the Bakersfield SIS Advocacy Group as God prompts your heart, or start one in your town. We need more committed Christian women (and men!) to link arms and multiply our efforts to bring redemption, hope, and new life to our sisters in India.

We who live here in the US have had every opportunity for healthy and productive lives. We have been valued and cared for and loved. Our lives are so good because the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ has affected our culture and our personal lives. We have, therefore, the responsibility and the opportunity to share that hope and life with others who do not yet have it.

Please pray for the Transformation Groups (TG) in northern India and if you live in Bakersfield, JOIN us for PRAYER Sunday July 5 at 2PM for prayer for India, or pray right where you are:

Pray God give the TG leaders courage and grace in the face of the opposition they are experiencing. The enemy doesn’t want to let go his grip on the hundreds of thousands of women and girls trapped in sex slavery there!
Pray the leaders discover women of influence within the brothel city, the red light district and the train station who will be the “keys” to open the door to those areas.
Pray for God to tear down all the barriers and strongholds of the enemy, that those in physical and spiritual bondage may be set free by His power.

Father in heaven, Grant us grace and boldness and your power to be faithful to do this for the sake of the Lamb Who was slain for the sins of the whole world, and for the sake of those who need redemption through Jesus Christ—and for our own souls’ sake. Amen.

Reposted from the Abide Women’s Prayer Group blog.

[2] For more info on how you can get involved in an Advocacy group contact me at jacquelinegwallace@gmail.com or go to http://sheissafe.org/engage/

[3] For more information on Transformation Groups contact me at jacquelinegwallace@gmail.com or go to http://sheissafe.org/work/india-transformation-groups/

[4] http://sheissafe.org/work/india-anti-trafficking/

June 26, 2015

Faith small enough, but not too small

“Our praying needs to be pressed and pursued with an energy that never tires, a persistency which will not be denied, and a courage that never fails.” E.M. Bounds[1]

I’ve often said, “Perspective is Everything.” I am convinced that it is enormously important to see the world from the right perspective: God’s perspective.

But in prayer, Persistence is equally weighty. Jesus said so. He told a parable to his disciples so they could get a better grasp of its importance.

`“Jesus told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up). He said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who neither reverenced and feared God nor respected or considered man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Protect and defend and give me justice against my adversary.’

And for a time he would not; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have neither reverence or fear for God nor respect or consideration for man, Yet because this widow continues to bother me, I will defend and protect and avenge her, lest she give me intolerable annoyance and wear me out by her continual coming or at the last she come and rail on me or assault me or strangle me.’

Then the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says! And will not [our just] God defend and protect and avenge His elect (His chosen ones), who cry to Him day and night? Will He defer them and delay help on their behalf? I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily.

However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence in] faith on the earth?’” Luke 18:1-8 (AMP)[2]

I’ve always thought of Jesus’s last question, “However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence in] faith on the earth?” as him thinking out loud, mumbling to himself, not really addressing anyone else. He had previously expressed exasperation at the disciples’ lack of faith, in the incident of the demon possessed boy from whom the disciples could not cast out the demon.

“Jesus … said, ‘You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?’” (Matthew 17:17, NASB).[3]

When the disciples privately asked Jesus, after He cast out that demon, why they couldn’t drive it out He told them their faith was too little. Again the issue of faith.

Then He blows my mind by saying that a tiny amount of faith, the size of a small seed, can move mountains.

So I ask myself, what size is my faith? Is it as tiny as a small seed? Is my faith small enough to move mountains? Or is it even smaller?

If my faith is as small as a tiny seed, when is the last time I moved a mountain?

Or cast out a demon?

I know there are mountains that need moving. Mountains of spiritual obstacles opposed to the power and presence of God. And I know there are demon possessed people that need deliverance. We call their problems by other names too often. They need to be set free from chains that bind them to destructive ways of life.

What size faith do I have? What size faith do you have?

Do we have eyes to see the spiritual realities, to see things as Jesus sees them, to gain God’s perspective?

Do we want to see?

Do we want to exercise our puny faith so it grows big muscles so we can bind the strong man and plunder his house (Mark 3:27)? Jesus has defeated that satanic enemy of mankind. We only need believe big enough in our strong Savior. And nothing will be impossible to us (Matt. 17:20).

I want to believe big in our big God. How about you?

Our enemies are beginning to look big to us and ourselves to seem like grasshoppers in their eyes. Let’s remember God is with us, not them (Numbers 13:25ff)!

God help us not to fail but persist in faith and faith-filled prayer, so that Jesus will not say of us if we fail, it was “because of your little faith … For if you had faith even as small as a tiny mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would go far away. Nothing would be impossible” (Matthew 17:20, TLB).

Let’s pursue that mustard seed faith so that what appears to be impossible to us, when we see through Jesus’s eyes, we find is not impossible, because impossible doesn’t exist in God’s economy.

Bakersfield She Is Safe Advocacy Group is doing just that. With a handful of women, we have:

committed to raising awareness of the need of women and girls in north India to be set free from the horrors of sex trafficking and brothel life, where girls are used up and become old before their time and baby girls born to them are used in the sex trade,

committed to calling more Christian women in Bakersfield to join us,

committed to raising $15,000 dollars over the next year to help fund Transformation Groups in north India to train women in skills to give themselves and their families better lives, breaking free of the iron grip of brothel life. And woven into every fiber of what the TG’s do is the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ which truly sets them free.

What are you doing? Share your faith ventures by leaving a comment in the comment box.

Consider joining us, the Bakersfield Advocacy Group, in advocating for those who have no voice. Or form an Advocacy Group in your town. Go to She Is Safe (www.shissafe.org) to learn more.

Whatever you do, “Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t stand back and let them die. Don’t try to disclaim responsibility by saying you didn’t know about it. For God, who knows all hearts, knows yours, and he knows you knew! And he will reward everyone according to his deeds” (Proverbs 24:11-12, TLB).[4]

Adapted and re-posted from the Abide Women’s Prayer Group blog, a ministry of the Women of The Bridge Bible Church, Bakersfield, CA. Written by Jacque Wallace.

[1] http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/942850.E_M_Bounds

[2] Amplified Bible (AMP)

[3] New American Standard Bible (NASB)

[4] Living Bible (TLB)

The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Taken from https://www.biblegateway.com .

June 19, 2015

Always on the GO

Recently I posed the question: How do these terms differ and how are they similar: Disciple and Missionary?

I contend that practically, these two terms are not mutually exclusive but integrated from their core outward. We become disciples of Jesus and since the God we serve is a missional God, we are to cultivate the same heart, the heart to GO into all the world and make disciples, as Jesus said. He didn’t just say it, He commanded His disciples to do that. We must, therefore, live missional lives. We should always be “on mission” as Jesus’ followers.

Just to be clear, a missionary is a disciple formally commissioned, sent by others, to go to those who need to learn the truth about God and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When I was a child at Bible camp, I went down front at the invitation to put my faith in Jesus (although it was when I was a few years older that I pinpoint my true conversion). I have never forgotten what the bus driver, a Methodist minister, said to me: “Someone told you about Jesus. Now you tell someone else about Jesus.” I was seven years old.

At a Vacation Bible School one summer we sang:

Untold millions are still untold

Untold millions are still outside the fold

Who will tell them of Jesus’ love

And the heavenly mansions awaiting above?

Jesus died on Calvary to save each one from sin

Now he calls to you and to me

To go and bring them in

For many untold millions are still untold

Untold millions are outside the fold

Who will tell them of Jesus’ love

And the heavenly mansions awaiting above?

The words of that song, and the tune, have stayed with me all these years.[1] (Did you sing it as a child? Do you also remember the words and tune?) Today we should sing billions rather than millions, billions of people for whom Jesus died who have no access to the Word of God and the gospel, right now, today.

So the command of Jesus is for us today. There are still thousands of ethnic groups (people groups) unreached with the gospel of Jesus Christ. In India alone, of 2,256 people groups in that country, 2,033 of those are least-reached or unreached with the good news of Jesus. Add to this the least-reached people groups in other countries, and of the 7.3 billion people in the world today, 2.9 Billion of them have NO, or limited, ACCESS to the gospel of Jesus Christ.[2]

I can’t count that high. I can’t get my mind around 2,900,000,000. But we are talking about more than numbers: these numbers represent real, flesh and blood people; boys, girls, men, women; people like you and me who have never heard that Jesus loves them and therefore they cannot yet enjoy His grace and peace through Jesus Christ.

Why should you and I have this wonderful life in Christ when others haven’t even heard of Him? I’ve asked myself this question more than once. Is it because we are more special to God, more loved by Him? Though we’d never say that, don’t we actually tell ourselves we are special, so very loved by God? Some even say we are princesses (for you gals) of the King, right?

Though God does love us, enough to send Jesus to make a way of salvation for us through His death and resurrection, He has convicted me about focusing on myself rather than focusing on God’s love for “the world,” on His kingdom and righteousness.

I am not more loved by God than those who have never heard the good news of Jesus. I need to be living my life so as to introduce them to the Jesus that someone introduced me to. You know, one beggar telling another beggar where to get food, rather than hoarding it for myself.

When less than 1 penny of every dollar given by Christians to all causes, goes to pioneer church planting among unreached peoples, something is very wrong.[3] You and I can change that statistic. Yes, we can.

God help us to change that statistic.

Jesus told us to go and we must go. We can do so in many ways: leaving our homes to go to the untold, pray for and financially support others who do go, care for/become involved with missions and missionaries in a variety of ways, making God’s kingdom and His purposes our priority in life.

Some of us were doing that last Thursday. We held a prayer walk in SE Bakersfield, one of our needy, near neighborhoods. We prayed for local churches and ministries to children and families going on there: we prayed that God would capture hearts and lives as His love is put on display by volunteers and as the Word of God goes forth in summer outreaches and VBS programs. [4]

Many of us on that prayer walk are also members of the Bakersfield She Is Safe Advocacy Group and we prayed for the ministries of She Is Safe, especially those in India.[5] As members of the Bakersfield SIS Advocacy Group, while living right here in Bakersfield, we can make a difference in the lives of women and girls in slavery and poverty, our unreached neighbors on the other side of the world.

During this prayer walk we physically walked the sidewalks of SE Bakersfield and spiritually walked the brothels of India, pleading for physical and spiritual changes in both places. God heard. And we can be assured that when He hears, He acts.

What are you doing currently, or what will you do starting today, to bring the gospel of Jesus to your near and far neighbors? Leave a comment to let me hear from you. We need to encourage one another in our obedience to Christ.[6]

[1] I found the whole song here: http://www.hymnlyrics.org/newlyrics_u/untold_millions.php

[2] Learn more at www.joshuaproject.net

[3] www.joshuaproject.net

[4] www.plazaiglesia.com

[5] www.shisisafe.org

[6] For more information about the Bakersfield SIS Advocacy Group, or starting one in your town, leave a comment for me.

June 12, 2015

Both Here and There at once

“Jesus came forward and addressed His beloved disciples.

‘I am here speaking with all the authority of God, who has commanded Me to give you this commission: Go out and make disciples in all the nations. Ceremonially wash them through baptism in the name of the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then disciple them. Form them in the practices and postures that I have taught you, and show them how to follow the commands I have laid down for you. And I will be with you, day after day, to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20 The Voice).

How do these terms differ and how are they similar: Disciple and Missionary?

Practically speaking (not missiologically speaking, rather, super simplified), the only real difference between the two terms lies in relation to where one resides: in one’s familiar culture or in an unfamiliar culture. Geography and culture are external issues, that is, they affect the disciple or missionary from outside him or herself.

A disciple is one who has trusted in Jesus Christ as his savior and Lord and begun his life journey of learning from and obeying Jesus. A missionary is a disciple who has been commissioned by a larger body of disciples to go to another group of people, usually in another culture, who need to hear the gospel of Jesus and see it lived out in the disciple’s life.

The similarity in the terms, of utmost importance to both, is the internal reality from which both disciples and missionaries live their lives: The biblical worldview of the Kingdom (rule) of God and allegiance to Him. This encompasses obedience to Jesus’ commands to his followers, including his last command, to “Go (be going) into all the world and make disciples of all nations (ethnic groups) ….”

A well-known Christian denomination coined the term “On Mission” to inform, illustrate and shape the biblical lifestyle they desired for their adherents as followers of Jesus Christ. This is a good word-picture to help us understand that disciples of Jesus are to be “on mission” 24/7, living a life of loving obedience to Jesus Christ, part of which is going into all the world bearing the Good News of Jesus in word and deed.

Some disciples will literally go far away from home to foreign cultures, or across the country or across town into somewhat different cultures. As I indicated, we call these disciples, missionaries.

But each one of us, to be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ, will be “going into all the world” in heart and deed by a multitude of means: by prayer, by giving financially (and structuring our lifestyles to make that giving-going a priority), and by other works of support to get the gospel to those who have not heard it, those both near and far.[1]

I’ll talk more about “those who have not heard it” in my next blog post.

Share your thoughts on this topic. Are you a disciple of Jesus and are you actively going into the world, and by what means? Leave your comment below. Let’s encourage each other.

[1] Examples of “other works of support” would be supporting a mission or missionary by finances and prayer. Another example is joining a group such as a She Is Safe Advocacy Group (www.sheissafe.org), taking part in events to raise awareness and funding for ministry to women and girls in areas of the world where the Gospel of Jesus Christ is little or not known. A close-to-home, hands-on opportunity is to volunteer with groups in the inner city or with at-risk children in your town (see previous post).

June 2, 2015

Can anything good come out of the ‘hood?

Rough towns and neighborhoods have an unsavory reputation and people say, “Can anything good come from there?”

That’s what they say about Southeast Bakersfield. “Don’t go into that neighborhood. It’s not safe.” And they may be right that it is not always safe. We do need to be wise and cautious in areas known for gangs and crime. But staying away and doing nothing never did any good.

The truth is, most neighborhoods are made up of ordinary people just trying to mind their own business and live their lives, in difficult circumstances. They don’t want violence and danger in their backyards or streets. They want safety and welfare for their children and grandchildren, the same as you and I want these things for ours. They worry about their children being influenced by or forced into joining a gang or getting caught up in crime.

“Why do people join gangs? Young people most likely to join a gang are impoverished with no economic future. They usually come from broken homes and experienced domestic violence at an early age. Often they have family members or friends in a gang. Typically they failed school and have no positive adult role models.”

So states an article in the Denison Forum.[1] This perfectly describes many kids in Southeast Bakersfield, and in thousands of communities across the country.

The article goes on to say, “What can Christians do?”

The first thing, they say, is educate ourselves about the gang problem in our own community. Never assume there is none and that our own children are immune to its influences.

A second idea is to become a school mentor, especially for at-risk kids. They desperately need positive role models. We have seen the positive impact mentoring a child can have. Many of these children do not have a dad in the home, and few have any positive male role models. Christian men can fill the gap by committing to mentor a child or young man. Christian women can fill the same gap for girls who need to see an alternative to the way of life they see around them every day.

Another option is to put on a conference for at-risk youth, inviting speakers to educate the at-risk children in the community about the dangers of gangs and getting involved with them.

A fourth suggestion for Christians is to “sponsor programs that minister to youth, including recreation, job skills, counseling and educational programs.”[2]

Mustard Seeds and Mountains[3] has first-hand experience in this area. We did this in one of the poorest counties in West Virginia through our youth work and the Empowerment Center, an after-school learning center that worked with at-risk children one-on-one and in groups. As a non-profit, faith-based organization, Mustard Seeds relied on God’s people to partner with us to accomplish our goals of serving this needy population of children, offering them positive opportunities for a better life, both educationally and spiritually.

This kind of intervention requires moving into, or at least visiting, the at-risk neighborhood. That is exactly what Mustard Seeds did in McDowell County, West Virginia. That is what Plaza Iglesia Cristiana[4], a bi-lingual church plant, and Positive Change and Development Center (PCDC) is doing in Southeast Bakersfield. They moved into the neighborhood to reach the neighborhood.

Plaza Church reaches out to families and teaches the Word of God week after week. During the school year PCDC, through their “Hope for the Future” learning center, offers after-school tutoring in reading and math, help with homework, and a Bible lesson, building academic strength and spiritual depth in at-risk children. In the summertime they host a month long recreation, crafts and Bible program free to all the children of Southeast Bakersfield.

All of these programs depend heavily on financial and prayer supporters, and the faithful volunteers who come to work with the children week after week, lovingly guiding them academically, being the positive, godly role models they desperately need.

That is why Mustard Seeds and Mountains (Mustard Seeds West) partnered with Plaza Iglesia/PCDC, joining hands with them to give families and the children in the ‘hood the opportunity for a better life, educationally and spiritually.

There was a fifth suggestion in the Denison Forum article, for Christian intervention in gang threatened neighborhoods in our communities: prayer.

You may not be able to volunteer in an at-risk neighborhood or church. But perhaps you can give financially and encourage others to go. Regardless of what else we can do, we can and should pray. Seriously pray. Pray big. Pray in faith. Big faith, for the big God we serve.

On June 11 at 8 am a group of women (men invited) will be meeting to scatter throughout southeast Bakersfield to pray for their neighbors who live there. For the residents of Southeast are our “neighbors,” according to Jesus, regardless of where we live. Will you join us in prayer?

We need God’s people to link arms with us by praying, donating finances, and spending themselves by volunteering to reach these at-risk children so that fewer of them will be sucked into gang life. By God’s grace, and only by God’s grace, can these kids become part of the solution to gang violence and crime, rather than be the problem. We are praying for and working toward the salvation of every one of them.

Nazareth had a bad reputation. When told that the Deliverer lived there, Nathanael said, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”[5] He just didn’t know Jesus.

“Can anything good come from Southeast Bakersfield (or the worst neighborhoods in your town)?” Undoubtedly. If we believe Jesus is there in his distressing disguise, and we go to serve him.

Pray about getting involved in an at-risk neighborhood near you, to serve Jesus—in his distressing disguise.

Leave a comment or send me your questions. I’d love to hear what you are doing in your town, or answer your questions about how to start to do something (for something is better than no-thing).

[1] Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, www.denisonforum.org, Today’s Cultural Commentary, May 19, 2015. Used with permission. Link to Supporting Data: http://advancementprojectca.org/sites/default/files/imce/AP%20Call%20To%20Action_LA%20Quest%20to%20Achieve%20Community%20Safety%20FINAL%202013.pdf

[2] Ibid.

[3] www.mustardseeds.org

[4] www.plazaiglesia.com

[5] John 1:46 Living Bible (TLB)

May 14, 2015

Keep on Running the Race

All kinds of people run. People of all ages run. They run for all different reasons. I would think it is safe to say most people run because they enjoy it, or some aspect of the running experience. I am not a runner so I am speculating here, based on my observations and what I know of human nature. We get involved in things that we like to do or that are meaningful to us.

I was up early Saturday to be at the site of a 5K Race and 1 Mile Family Walk. You have to seriously like to run or walk to be at the venue that early! Or, in my case, serious about participating in something I believe in: the ministry of She Is Safe (www.SheIsSafe.org). They are reaching out to women and girls around the world to “prevent, rescue and restore” them from lives of slavery, oppression and abuse, in the context of lovingly telling and demonstrating the good news of Jesus Christ.

I was at the race as a member of the newly formed Bakersfield She Is Safe Advocacy Group which sponsored the race. I assisted on the sidelines as others walked and ran, their race fees providing funds for She Is Safe to expand their work to more women and girls in the hard places of the world, bringing hope and new life to them.

Just like I had a specific motivation to be at the race to assist, the runners each had their personal motivations for being there too. And on the strength of their inner drive they accomplished their goal: crossing that finish line. Some wanted to be first. Others simply wanted to finish.

They all met their goals of crossing the finish line on their own two feet (or in their strollers!) because they set their minds to do it. All the runners were applauded and many got trophies or awards for placing in various categories, but the feeling of “I did it!” had to be the best prize of all.

Though I am not a runner of foot races, I am a runner in the race of life. We all are. We each have a race marked out for us and it is our responsibility to set our minds to give it our all, our best. Like Paul, we should be “bringing all (our) energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, (we) strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us” [Philippians 3:13,14, TLB).[1]

“What Christ Jesus did for us” should be all the motivation we need to stick to the race course, regardless of how difficult the going may get at times. Keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, “who for the joy set before him endured the cross”[2] for us, should help us keep putting one foot in front of the other with hope burning in our hearts. He finished his race and sat down next to the Father in heaven. He won salvation for all mankind, for any and all who will put their trust in him.

May we keep our eyes on the prize God has for us at the end of our race, motivated by the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ. May we live “to win for the Lamb that was slain the reward of His suffering.”[3]

For fun viewing, here’s a video of the 5K and Family walk: http://youtu.be/OtyYT3DPYGI

Photos and Video by www.proshowweb.com

[2] Hebrews 12:2

[3] The battle cry of the Moravian Church’s missionary outreach, based on Isaiah 53:10-12. http://www.globaltribesoutreach.org/articlesmoravian

Originally posted on the Abide Prayer Group blog, a women’s ministry of The Bridge Bible Church of Bakersfield, CA.

May 10, 2015

Feeding Jesus

They filtered in slowly, mostly one by one. Loners, carrying their backpacks or bags. There were a few who came with a friend, but most entered the room alone. A wave and smile or nod of greeting between some, for they know each other. They see each other every day. On the streets. Their home. The community of the homeless.

They eventually packed out the room, an estimated 140 in attendance. Mostly men, a few women. The church service comes first, with singing and a message, then the meal. We, eight of us from our home Bible study group and a couple of other groups from our church, were there to serve the food, clean up and otherwise help as assigned. The men’s ministry from our church did the cooking.

FLOOD* hosts these worship service/meal events, called Community Celebrations, for the homeless each Saturday and has done so for several years. They have been perfecting their system for these Community Celebrations and it runs quite well. Compassion mixed with wisdom.

Karri and her husband and kids, also from our church opened the service with singing. She, with her strong mezzo-soprano, is the lead vocalist; her young daughter sings harmony and husband, Adam, plays guitar and sings. Their older son manned the audio-visual system (what a talented family!).

The songs were familiar; we sing them in church frequently. But somehow, sitting in the back of the room, seeing all these men and women singing, some raising hands, others standing in worship when the rest of us are sitting, stirred my heart and I sang the old words with new awareness. Words of God’s love and forgiveness, of Jesus’ death and resurrection, of his power to make us new.

Broken, shattered, troubled lives in front of and around me, every person a different story. Stories wrapped in human flesh. For a few moments they find something real: the Presence of God. They sing songs of worship. More than for just a meal and a bag of groceries, though those are terribly important when you are hungry. I know there were brothers and sisters in Christ singing “the songs of Zion” with me in that room. And I thanked God, and prayed His blessings on them.

Then we served up their plates of food, serving Jesus in a strange disguise.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:34-40, NIV).

* www.floodbako.com, a ministry to the homeless of Bakersfield, which grew out of another home Bible study group from our church.

April 23, 2015

The Other Guests at the Door

Seven p.m. we show up. Well, a few of us were at the door a bit earlier. It’s just that we all enjoy our small group so much, we like getting there to see the rest of the gang. And the others seemed to troop in all together a few minutes to seven. “Hi’s!” and hugs all around.

As usual, Brynn opened the meeting with the by now traditional question: “What has God been doing?” He smiles as he says it, carrying on the tradition set by Randy. It is an effective thought provoker, getting us to think back over our week and recognize God at work in our lives. There are always interesting incidents brought up, fuel for prayer or praise.

Our group likes studying books of the Bible rather than topics, for the most part, so a few weeks ago we chose the book of Romans to study. No slouches in our group! We agreed on a study guide by a well-known and respected theologian and teacher and now, three weeks in, finished the first chapter of Romans. Heady already.

The part I love best about studying a book of the Bible is reading and re-reading the chapters for the duration of our time in the book. As I read I begin to see patterns, repeated words, progressions of thought. All those good things you miss with a simple read-through and on to the next book.

There was good discussion, some of us waxing passionate in our sharing. What a great group to let each of us be ourselves and still love each other!

After several of us shared needs, spontaneous prayers were offered and Brynn tied it up with a closing prayer.

Snack time! Suzie brought the cookies and Naomi the fresh strawberries.

We were all standing around talking and munching the goodies when a distinctly unpleasant aroma assaulted my senses. Or sense—of smell. Since I was talking and not paying complete attention to this intrusive element it took me several minutes to identify it. Looking at the open patio door I suddenly realized I was smelling skunk!

About the time I mentioned it, others were saying the same thing, telling their skunk and raccoon stories.

As we started to leave for home there was a commotion at the front door. Brynn had opened it to allow folks to exit but quickly drew back and shut the door. Four skunks were on the front porch, huddled in a corner!

The talk was loud and excited, laced with laughter. Greg was looking between the slats of the window blinds, trying to see the little black and white critters. Should we leave, should we wait? It was quite humorous.

I heard someone say, “They’re nocturnal so if you shine a light …” It must have worked because in a minute or so everyone was filing out the door. I followed Ernie, who was holding up his cell phone, shining the light this way and that. Good job, Ernie!

Now if someone asks us, “How was your week?” (or in our “group talk”: what has God been doing?) we have some funny stories to tell.

March 18, 2015

Encourage One Another to …

In 1992 our family moved from southern California to Roswell, a community north of Atlanta, Georgia. Roswell was not our final destination; we were on our way to start a ministry, Mustard Seeds and Mountains, in West Virginia. Our “stopover” in Roswell turned into a three year hiatus in which we joined mission staff at Fellowship Bible Church, started several local ministry outreaches and raised our missionary support to move to West Virginia full time.

We considered FBC our “home church” for all the years we lived in West Virginia. As missionaries with FBC we still receive their Serve (missions) Newsletter. This month featured an article by Corinne Simpson, Children’s Ministries Director at Fellowship Bible Church. I felt she had a powerful challenge for me, and for us all, so I wanted to share her article with you. Below is an introduction by FBC mission/outreach staff and then Corinne’s article.

“If you like your life just as it is and don’t really want your assumptions challenged, stay away from the fringes of downtown Atlanta and don’t get too far away from the boat if you go on a cruise. And most certainly don’t do go to a place like Bangalore, India. You just might see the world as God sees it. And you might be changed in ways you didn’t expect. It happened to one of our own at Fellowship.”

Corinne Simpson, Children’s Ministries Director at Fellowship Bible Church

“When I boarded the plane to visit mission partners in south Asia, I didn’t foresee how God would use this trip to change me.

Our drive from the airport to their home was our first memorable experience in their country – lanes mean nothing! Stepping out of the familiar—new tastes and smells, poverty, kind and gentle people, the cost and joy of obedience— is hard to forget. We worshipped, played, had sweet connections with their team, heard stories and got a glimpse of what God is doing in the nations!

Here are a few of my learnings:

*Prayer – steadfast prayer – is needed for our “heroes of the faith” as they live their calling. Pray for the nations and for the persecuted church. We stayed a few days in a guest house where nine of the people who stayed there in 2014 were martyred as they went back into their countries.

*Loving people includes knowing them and serving them. I asked a lady who had been there fifteen years why she stayed … “I love the people.” A personal conviction for me back at home translates to prayer-walking my neighborhood and reaching out and serving my neighbors – and then sharing the gospel. Lord, help me to love people.

*The cost of discipleship and obedience is sometimes hard. Suffering seems to be part of the deal. Will I embrace that as normal?

Back in Atlanta, last week in church we sang “Hosanna” by Hillsong. Worshipping together with my church family, we sang: ‘break my heart for what breaks yours, everything I am for the kingdom cause’… ‘I see a generation rising up to take their place with selfless faith’… ‘I see a near revival stirring as we pray and seek, we’re on our knees’… ‘Heal my heart and make it clean, open up my eyes to the things unseen … Show me how to love like you’ve loved me.’

‘Lord, it is a privilege to glimpse what it looks like (here and there) to give our life for a worthy cause. Keep us faithful. Help me (us) to not be lured into less important endeavors. Time is short. You are worthy.’

May we press onward in step with Him and live our calling to be disciples who make disciples!”

Article and photo used with the permission of Fellowship Bible Church ( http://fellowshiproswell.org/ ) and Corinne Simpson. Thank you, friends!